Senate Judiciary forwards committee substitute for Senate Bill 443 to Rules after unanimous vote

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to send the committee substitute for Senate Bill 443 (LC 492642s) to the Rules Committee. The Chair said the substitute addressed most concerns raised during subcommittee and testimony, and there were no amendments.

The outcome came after the Chair opened the single-item agenda, noting the bill had already received subcommittee testimony and that subcommittee Chairman Hatchett had prepared an update. The Chair told members the substitute "for the most part" resolved the issues raised but acknowledged there "may still be some opposition" from some committee members.

Senator Beard moved that the committee "do pass" the substitute, and Senator Steele seconded the motion on behalf of the committee substitute. The Chair called for those in favor to raise their hands and reported the vote as unanimous among members present, saying, "We did work out the concerns." The Chair then announced that SB 443 "by committee substitute" will move on to the Rules Committee.

The committee had no amendments and no extended debate on the substitute. The Chair reminded members that the committee meets at 4:00 p.m. on Monday and adjourned the session.

The record does not include a roll-call tally or the names of all members present; the transcript records the outcome as unanimous without specifying counts.